Summary

The article discusses "sisu," a Finnish concept of resilience and inner strength, and its relevance in personal development and education.

Abstract

The concept of "sisu," a Finnish term embodying resilience, bravery, and perseverance, is explored in the context of personal growth and educational philosophy. The author, inspired by a book on global educational systems, reflects on their time in Finland and Norway, linking the development of "sisu" to the extreme weather conditions of the Nordic region. The article suggests that cultivating "sisu" can have beneficial effects on how individuals face life's challenges. Strategies to develop "sisu" include stepping out of one's comfort zone, fostering curiosity, accepting adversity as part of life, testing personal limits, and practicing patience. The author invites readers to share equivalent concepts of "sisu" from their own cultures and looks forward to further exploration of this topic through a recommended book on the subject.

Opinions

The author believes that "sisu" is a vital life philosophy and an inner quality that can benefit any individual when facing adversity.
"Sisu" is seen as a national characteristic of Finland, shaped by its history and climate, and is considered an essential coping strategy for the harsh winter conditions.
The author emphasizes the importance of personal experience and learning from others to build resilience.
Challenges and adversity are viewed as inevitable and necessary parts of the human journey, which contribute to personal growth and the development of resilience.
The article conveys that patience is a key component of resilience, requiring the ability to maintain faith and enthusiasm through difficult times.
The author values the sharing of cultural perspectives on resilience and is eager to learn about similar concepts in other cultures.

Sisu: Resilience, The Finnish Way

It is a mix of bravery, wildness and firmness.

I came across this expression, character trait/life philosophy while reading a book about the “best” educational systems in the world. Great book I suggest to any parent out there curious about educational systems worldwide and what to look for while choosing schools for our children. I loved the book. And what I am about to talk about is a word that caught my attention. That word is Finnish and it is called “sisu”.

I lived and studied in Finland for a year and getting across that Finnish philosophy made me nostalgic and drove me to write about it.

What is sisu?

This word means inner strength in the face of adversity. It is a kind of inner glow as the author Amanda Ripley explains it in her book.

It is «a mix of brag and bravery, of wildness and firmness» wrote Time in an article about Finland in 1940.

It is the ability to keep “fighting” while the majority would have given up. It is “fighting” with the winner mindset, winner will.

Sisu could well be the favourite word of the Finnish people. Popularised in the 1920s but originating in the harry past, this untranslatable terms refers to a mix of courage, resilience, grit, tenacity and perseverance — characteristics that have shaped not just the fate of a nation but the individual lives of Finns on a daily basis.

— Joanna Nylund, Sisu: The Finnish Art of Courage

Which use?

This character trait, inner quality can be useful to any human being at least once in their lifetime.

No human ever lived without facing at least once in their life a type of challenge, adversity. It can be health, relationships; family or career type of challenge.

Cultivating this quality can appear to have many beneficial effects into one’s life quality and how one tackles challenges of all types.

I believe Finnish developed this philosophy out of the very extreme weather conditions that can be experienced in all the Nordics countries.

From my experience after living 1 year in Finland and 7 years now in Norway, it is almost vital to develop a certain kind of “copping” strategies to survive the harsh winter times.

During the past 7 years I did tell myself that next winter will get better, and it didn’t. I have to be the one who gets better at “copping” with the climate conditions and not the climate getting milder for “me”.

So it did make total sense to read about sisu and the fact that it has its origin in Finland.

There are out there other kind of appellations of sisu, each culture, each country may have their own definition. What is the closest appellation, expression, life philosophy in your country, culture that portrays this “inner strength”, “inner glow”, “resilience”? I am curious to hear about it :)

How to cultivate sisu?

If one is willing to develop this philosophy, in my sense one needs to:

Get out of the comfort zone. There is no growth in the comfort zone. Go out there, experience life. Take risks and see what happens. In the worst case scenario you will end up with valuable life experience.
Be curious: read about stuff, listen to people when they talk, ask more questions and assume less. When one truly listens to other people’s stories, one realizes that we are in this together. We go through similar patterns of phases in life. It is all about which phase/chapter of your life you may be crossing currently. And chances are that someone has been there before you. When you listen, you understand this. You also understand that this too shall definitely come to pass.
Cultivate the belief that challenges, adversity is part of the human journey. No one gets away without any sort of undesirable feelings in life. We each get our dose at some time or another.
Test the limits: the more you test them, the more you figure out you can push further. The more you push further, the more you develop the ability to deal with future roadblocks. So push those limits of yours (while respecting your holistic health conditions).
Be patient: resilience is built within perseverance. It is the ability to keep the faith with enthusiasm no matter how dark the journey gets. As a Chinese proverb says: “to the ones who know how to wait, time will open its doors”. I believe all that is worth it and meaningful is built upon some degree of patience. So yes be patient and you will soon enough notice how resilient you are. You will realize what you are truly “built of” (or not).

I will probably be talking, writing more about this topic in my future posts. I just ordered the book “Sisu: The Finnish Art of Courage” by Joanna Nylund. I am already looking forward to finding more about sisu and sharing it with you my dear readers.

Thank you for your precious time and share with me the equivalent of “sisu” in your local culture if there is any. I will be delighted to read about it ❤

Source of inspiration: LIFE & the book “De smarteste barna i verden & hvordan de ble det” / Amanda Ripley